Mechanism for feeding off newspapers, &amp;c., from piles.



No. 673,892. Patented May I4, l90l. L. A. AGNEW. MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OFF' NEWSPAPERS, 81.0., FROM PILES.

(Application flied Sept. 15, 1899.) (No Modal.) 6 Shaeta$hoet l.

W W M W W M W 7 WITNESSES: INVENTOR 4i, 5 4 I aux. 4 W! ATTOR N EYS No. 673,892. Patented May l4, l90l.

L. A. AGNEW.

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OFF NEWSPAPERS, 81.0., FROM PILES.

(Application filed Sept. 15, 1899.)

(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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, WITNESSES: v INVENTOR ATTOR N EYS No. 673,892. Patented May l4, l90l. L. A. AGNEW. MECHANISM FOR FEEDING.0FF NEWSPAPERS. &c., FROM PILES.

(Applicaition flied Sept 15, 189 mu Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 3.

INVENTOR WITNESSES: x i/W %b.4

ATTORNEYS No. 673,892. 4 Patented May l4, 19m.

L.- A. AGNEW.

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OFF NEWSPAFERS. &c., FROM PILES.

v (Application filed Sept. 15, 1899.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 4.

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No. 673,892. Patented May I4, mm. L. A. AGNEW.

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OFF NEWSPAPERS, &c., FROM PILES.

(Application filed Sept. 15, 1899.) (No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 5.

INVENTOR (:2 91Wwv9- ATTORNEYS N h WITH F v "N (all W l WITN ESSES gmg/ No. 673,892. Patented May 14, I90].

L. A. AGNEW.

MEGHANISM F DR FEEDING OFF NEWSPAPERS. &c., FRUM PILES.

(Application med Sept. 15, 1899.) (No Mom.) 6 Shaeta-Shaet 6.

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WWI M lINTTnn STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

LEE A. AGNEW, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MECHANISM FOR FEEDING OFF NEWSPAPERS, 800., FROM PILES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,892, dated May 14, 1901.

Original application filed March 22,1899, Serial No. 710,057

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, LEE A. AGNEW, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Feeding-Off Mechanisms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to mechanism for feeding oif one by one from a pile newspapers,

- magazines, and the like, and is particularly adapted for use in connection with newspaper folding and wrapping machines, but is equally applicable for use in connection with addressingmachines, printingpresses, and various other types of machinery.

My invention consistsin the novel construction of the devices employed for taking ol1 newspapers or other objects one by one from a pile, in the use in combination with such devices of feed-tapes to which said papers are delivered, in the novel means employed for alining the paper so fed forward, in the novel means employed for preventing the feeding off of two or more papers simultaneously through adhesion of one paper to another, in the novel means employed for regulating the movement of the elevator, and generally in the novel combination, construction, and arrangement of the parts.

The objects of my invention are to improve the mechanisms employed for feeding off separate papers or other objects from a pile, to prevent the feeding off of two or more papers simultaneously, to aline properly the papers so fed off, and to make the mechanism as simple and compact as possible and capable of rapid operation. These objects are attained in the invention herein described, and illustrated in the drawings which accompany and form a part of this specification, in which the same reference-numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts, and in which Figure l is a side elevation of the mechanism. Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the mechanism, taken from the right of Fig. 1, the

elevator being omitted. Fig. 3 is a top view Divided and this application filed September 15, 1899. Serial lNo model.)

detail side views of the feed-finger mechanism employed for removing the papers successively from the elevator and of the friction device employed for preventing the feeding 0d of two papers simultaneously through the adhesion of one paper to another, Fig. 4Sl1OW- ing the parts in the position of mid-travel of the feed-fingers and Fig. 5 showing the parts in positionsoccupied when the feed-fingers have reached the end of their travel. Fig. 6 is a detail side view of one of the feed-finger carriages and the parts connected thereto. Fig. '7 is an end view of such carriage and the parts connected thereto. Fig. 8 is a detail elevation of the paper-elevator looking from the left of said elevator as shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 9 is a central vertical section of the hit and-miss clutch by which the elevator is driven; and Fig. 10 is a detail transverse sec tion of such clutch, taken on the line as a: of Fig. 9, lookingin the direction of the arrows.

In the drawings accompanying this specification the paper feeding and separating mechanism which embodies the invention herein described and claimed is shown as attached to the framework of a newspaper folding and Wrapping machine such as is illustrated, described, and claimed in my application for Letters Patent for a machine of that class filed March 22, 1899, Serial No. 710,057; but the principal portions of the mechanisms of the machine are omitted for the sake of clearness and because they form no portion of the present invention. As above stated, however, this paper feeding and separating mechanism is equally applicable for use in machines of other types.

In the drawings, 1 1 are a series of elevated platforms upon which newspapers, magazines, and the like may be placed in quantities to be carried up to the "feeding-off devices, and 2 2 are columns Within which run the supporting-chains of such shelves. The construclion of this elevator is substantially that shown in my Patent No. 586,327, dated July 13, 1897, and in my application for Letters Patent for a machine for addressing and assorting newspapers and the like, filed August 18, 1898, Serial No. 688,910.

3 3 are ways, upon which are mounted slidot' the mechanism. Figs. 4 and 5 are similar 1 ing carriages44, to which motion is comm unicated from by a drive-shaft 5, Figs. 1 and 2, by means of an eccentric 6 on said shaft, a

- pivoted yoke-lever 7, a rod 8, connecting said lever and a locker-arm 9 on the rock-shaft 10, an arm 11 on said rocker-shaft, and a link 12, connecting arm 11 to the carriage.

To each carriage 4 is pivoted a rearwardlyextending feed-finger 13, carrying needles or claws adapted to engage the uppermost paper upon the elevator. There are four of these feed-fingers 13 and four carriages therefor, and these carriages are all connected by the shaft 14, to which the links 12 are pivoted, so that but two arms 11 and links 12 are required, and the feed-fingers are operated absolutely simultaneously. There may be a greater or less number of feed-fingers, as desired. 'Each feed-finger is provided with a spring 15, tending to press it downward.

The feed-fingers 13 in moving forward or toward the left of Figs. 1, 4, and 5 engage a paper on the elevator and carry the same forward up an inclined apron l6 and between feed-tapes 17 and 18. The feed-tapes 18 pass around guide-pulleys 19 near the apron 16 and around guide-pulleys 20 and 21 at the left-hand end of the machine. These tapes are driven as follows: A gear on the shaft of the rollers 21 is connected by a chain of gears (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1) with a shaft 24, itself driven from the main drivingshaft 5 by means of sprocket and spur gearing, as shown in Fig. 1. The tapes 17 pass around rollers 25, near the elevator, which rollers are mounted upon long arms 26, keyed to a shaft 27 at the left-hand end of the machine. Said tapes-17 also pass around pulleys 21 and 23 at the left-hand end of the machine. To the shaft 27 is keyed a follower-lever 28, normally bearing against the face of the cam 29 on the shaft 24. The form of this cam is such that the arms 26 are elevated at the instant when the feed-fingers advance a paper between the rollers 25 and 19 and the two series of tapes 17 and 18. As soon as a paper has entered between the tapes the cam permits the arms 26 to drop, thus bringing the upper tapes 17 into contact with the paper. The tapes then feed the paper forward rapidly. At the instant when arms 26 are dropped in this manner forward extensions 29 of the feed-fingers 13 encounter a shaft 30,which connects the various arms 26, causing the feed-fingers to rise simultaneously and disengage the paper which is now being fed forward by the feed-tapes. Studs 31, Fig. 6, on the feed-fingers are then engaged by latches 32, carried by the carriages 4, so that the feed-fingers are held elevated during the backward movement of their carriages. These latches are all keyed toashaft 32,and hence move together. When the'earriages have nearly reached the rear limit of their travel, one of the latches 32 encounters a tripper 33, which pushes it and the other latches forward, thereby releasing the feed-fingers 13 simultaneously and permitting them to drop down and engage a new paper on the elevator. The fingers being dropped simultaneously, the paper if square on the elevator will start squarely.

Since the feed-fingers are tripped by a shaft carried by the tape-arms 26, the feed-fingers are raised before the upper tapes 17 touch the paper, and hence when said tapes do reach the paper the feed-fingers offer no opposition to the forward motion thereof.

In order to aline the papers carried forward by the tapes l7 and 18 as nearly as possible,

.(one corner of a paper is sometimes fed forward to the feed-tapes in advance) I provide side tapes 34. The inner sides of these tapes are vertical, but the outer sides turn from the vertical to the horizontal plane, so that the tapes may pass over rollers 20 and 21 and be driven thereby. Suitable guide-rollers are provided to turn the tapes 34 and to keep their inner sides vertical. Supplementary side tapes 35 are also provided opposite the apron 16, which serve to guide papers which are taken from the elevator at a very low level.

To supplement the action of the side tapes in alining the papers, stops 36 are employed. These stops are vertical rod-s located just beyond the inner ends of the ways 3. Normally they project down into the path of a paper carried by the tapes, being held in such a position by a spring. A paper fed forward by the tapes therefore encounters these stops 36, and if one corner of the paper he in advance the paper will be alined. The stops are lifted by suitable means. In the drawings the means employed for so lifting the stops consists of lugs 37, carried by a folding-knife 38, forming part of the folding mechanism to which the invention is applied, which lugs engage corresponding lugs on the stops 36; but the said stops 36 may be raised in any other manner or by any other suitable mechanism.

It sometimes happens that when one paper on the elevator is carried forward by the feedfingers 13 one or more papers beneath it will also be carried forward by adhesion. To avoid this, I employ friction-rollers 39, directly beneath the apron 16 and adapted to project upward through slots therein and mounted upon a shaft 40, itself revolubly mounted in rocker-arms 41, mounted on shaft 42. The shaft 40 is driven from the main drive-shaft 5 by a belt 43, passing over a driving-pulley 44 on shaft 5, over a pulley 45 on shaft 42, and over suitable guide-pulleys, and by a sprocket-chain 46 connecting pulley 45 and shaft 40.

The rollers 39 are raised up into contact with the underside of a paper being fed for ward by the feed-fingers by an arm 47, keyed to shaft 42, to which rocker-arms 41 are also keyed. This arm 47 carries a projection working in a cam-groove 48, formed in the face of the drive-pulley 44 on shaft 5. The upper faces of the rollers 39 move in the direction opposite to the direction of motion of the papers carried forward by the feed-fingers 13. They therefore tend to push said papers backward. If the feed-fingers take off but one paper at atime, the rollers 39 can have no action on the papers; but if asecond paper be carried off by adhesion with one engaged by the fingers 13 the rollers 39, being brought up into contact with said second paper, as illustrated in Fig. 4, push said paper back again, as shown in Fig. 5.

In order to insure contact of the rollers 39 with papers carried forward by the feed-fingers, pivoted and spring-pressed shoes 49 are provided, which tend to press the papers down upon the rollers 39. These shoes 49 are engaged and lifted by a projection 50 on the carriage 4 when said carriage nears the rear limit of its travel. It is desirable that the shoes be so lifted in order that the edge of a paper fed forward by the feed-fingers may not encounter said shoes and be turned downward thereby.

The elevator is driven from the main drive-' shaft 5 by a sprocket-chain 51, driving one lnemberof ahit-and-miss clutch 52, the other member of which is keyed to a shaft 53, having upon it worms which drive worm-wheels 54 upon the driving-shafts of the elevatorchains. A trip 55, depending from an arm 56, projecting from a pivoted shaft 57, operates the clutch, opening the clutch when the papers on the elevator have reached too high a level and closing the clutch when by the action of the feed-fingers a sufficient number of papers have been removed from the elevator to permit further operative feedingof the paper. The clutch 52, by which the operation of the elevator is thus controlled, is shown in detail in Figs. 9 and 10. Its driving member is a beveled gear-wheel 58, carrying a plurality of studs 59. The driven member is a disk 60, keyed to the shaft 53, to which disk is pivoted a bell-crank pawl 61, one arm of which is adapted to engage studs 59 when in a proper position, While the other arm fits within a recess in the rim of a ratchetwheel 62, mounted loosely on the shaft 53. A spring 63 tends to hold the bell-crank 61 in the dotted position shown in Fig. 10, in which position said bell-crank is in the path of the studs 59. A ratchet 64 is adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet-wheel 62, as shown in Fig. 10, and when it does so engage said teeth it checks the motion of the ratchetwheel, moving the same backward with reference to the disk 60, if said disk be rotating, and thus moving the bell-crank 61 out of the path of the studs 59, thereby opening the clutch. This clutch is very delicate and quick-acting and so regulates the upward movement of the elevator-shelves that but little variation in the position of the top of the pile of papers takes place. If the shelves of the elevator are properly filled, therefore, the feed-fingers are always in their best position for action during the feeding forward of the papers.

In my Patent No. 586,327 I have shown a feed-finger mechanism similar to' that here in shown for removing papers successively from an elevator; but in that mechanism the needles of the feed-fingers are upon the forward ends of such fingers, so that they push the papers onward. I find it preferable to place the needles upon the rear ends of the feed-fingers instead and to so place them that they are nearly vertical. They thus act as claws to draw the papers from the elevator.

The operation of my apparatus is as follows: Papers having been placed upon the elevator and the elevator having been operated until the papers have reached the height of the feed-fingers 13, said fingers grasp the uppermost paper upon the elevator and pull it off therefrom upon the inclined apron 16, and thus upward and upon the table 22 between the feed-tapes l7 and 18. At the instant when the paper is advanced between the feed-fingers the cam 29 has raised the arms 26, so that the tapes 17 are not in contact with the paper; but an instant thereafter said cam permits the arms 26 to drop, thus bringing the tapes 17 into contact with the paper on the table 22, so that the paper is fed forward rapidly. At the same time the front ends of the lingers 13 encounter the trippingrod 30, connecting the arms 26, and are raised thereby, beingheld in such upraised position bythe latches While the paper is being drawn forward by the elevator in this manner friction-rollers 39 are raised into contact with the under surface of the paper by the cam-groove 48, and since these rollers rotate in the reverse direction they push backward upon the elevator any papers which may have been carried therefrom with the papergrasped by the feed-fingers 13. The shoes 49 press the papers down upon the friction-rollers 39. When the feed-fingers 13 move backward, the lugs 50 on their carriages 4encounter the shoes 49 and lift the same out of the path of the papers being fed forward from the elevator. When the feed-fingers have reached the limit of their travel, one of their latches 32 encounters the tripper 33, and the latches are caused thereby to release the feed-fingers l3. Said feedfingers therefore drop and engage another paper on the elevator. When the feed-fingers move forward again, the lugs 50 disengage the shoes 49 and cause them to drop. As the papers are fed from the elevator upon the inclined table 16 and the main table 22 they are alined more or less completely by the side tapes 34 and supplemental side tapes 35. The papers finally encounter the alining-stops 36 and are alined perfectly thereby, and when this has happened the stops 36 are raised and the papers permitted to move forward farther. If the papers are fed forward too rapidly by the elevator and reach too high a level, the uppermost paper encounters the tripper and raises the same, thus opening the clutch 52. As soon as the level of the papers on the elevators has fallen IIO the point where they receive the papers. I

do not claim such combination herein, therefore, but claim the feed-tapes and the means for separating them at intervals, in combination with the feed-fingers, this application being in that respect a division of my said application, Serial No. 710,057, and also as regards the feed-fingers having at their rear ends needles for engaging the papers instead of at their front ends.

Having thus completely described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a mechanism for feeding newspapers, and the like, the combination, with a vibrating feed-finger, adapted to feed forward newspapers and the like successively, of feedtapes adapted to receive between them the papers from'the feed-finger, and automatic mechanism for increasing periodically, and as the fingers move forward the distance between said tapes at the point where they receive the papers.

2. In a mechanism for feeding newspapers and the like, the combination, with a vibrating feed-finger adapted to feed forward newspapers and the like successively, of feedtapes adapted to receive between them the papers from the feed-finger, guide-pulleys for said tapes, one set of tapes having guide-pulleys, at the point of reception of the newspapers, which are mounted upon movable hangers, and automatic mechanism for operating said hangers and thereby increasing periodically, and as the feed-fingers move forward the distance between the two sets of tapes.

3. In a mechanism for feeding newspapers and the like, the combination, with a vibrating feed-finger adapted to feed forward newspapers and the like successively, of feedtapes adapted to receive between them the papers from the feed-finger, guide-pulleys for the tapes, oneset of tapes having guide-pulleys, at the point of reception of the newspapers, which are mounted upon movable hangers by which the distance between the two sets of tapes may be varied, and automatic mechanism, operating in unison with said fingers for so varying said distance automatically at intervals.

4. In a paper-feeding mechanism for paperfolding machines, the combination, with two sets of feed-tapes adapted to receive papers and the like between them, each of such sets of tapes comprising a plurality of separate tapes located upon both sides of the position of the folding devices with which said tapes coact, of hangers for one of said sets of tapes, located upon both sides of the position of such folding devices, and pivoted in proximity to such folding devices, and carrying guide-pulleys for the tapes, which pulleys are located at the point where the papers are received by the tapes; and means for moving said hangers at intervals, whereby the distance between the sets of tapes may be increased, to permit the ready reception of the papers.

5. In a paper-feeding mechanism for paperfolding machines, the cornbin ation of two sets of feed-tapes adapted to receive papers and the like between them, one of said sets of tapes having guide-pulleys which are mounted upon hangers movable toward and from the other set of tapes, whereby the distance between said tapes may be varied, folding mechanism, and :a cam operating in synchronism with the folding mechanism for so moving said hangers.

6. In a feeding and alining mechanism for paper folding machines, the combination, with folding devices,and feed-tapes, adapted to feed papers and the like forward, of alining-fingers adapted to check momentarily the movement of papers carried by the tapes, and means, operated by the folding devices, for moving the fingers out of the path of the papers.

7. In a feeding-off mechanism for paperfolding machines, the combination, with an elevator, means for removing papers successively therefrom, and feed-tapes adapted to receive such papers and carry the same onward, of alining-fingers adapted to check momentarily. the movement of papers carried by the tapes, folding devices, and means, operated by the folding devices, for moving the fingers out of the path of the papers.

8. In a paper-feeding and alining mechanism for paper-folding machines, the combination, with feed-tapes adapted to feed papers and the like forward, of moving side tapes for alining the papers, alining-fingers for supplementing the action of said side tapes, adapted to check momentarily the movement of papers carried by the tapes, folding devices, and means, operated by the folding devices, for moving the fingers out of the path of the papers.

9. In afeeding-off mechanism for paperfolding machines, the combination, with an elevator, means for removing papers successively therefrom, and feed-tapes adapted to receive such papers and carry the same onward, of moving side tapes for alining the papers, alining-fingers, for supplementing the action of said side tapes, adapted to check momentarily the movement of papers carried by the tapes, folding devices, and means, operated by the folding devices, for moving the fingers out of the path of the papers.

10. In a feeding-off mechanism, the combination, with means for removing papers successively from a pile and feeding them forward, an inclined apron adapted to receive suchpapers, side tapes for alining the papers, and supplemental side tapes below the main side tapes and opposite the lower portion of the apron, adapted to act upon papers received on the lower portion of the apron.

11. In a feeding-01f mechanism, the combination, with means for removing papers and the like, successively, from a source of supply, of a reversely-moving friction device adapted to contact with a paper improperly carried OE, and means for moving such friction device into contact with said paper.

. 12. In a feeding-off mechanism, the combination, with means for removing papers and the like, successively, from a source of supply, of a reversely-moving friction device adapted to contact with a paper improperly carried off, means for moving such friction device into contact with a paper, and a shoe for pressing the paper against such friction device.

13. In a feeding-off mechanism, the combination, with vibrating, feedfingers for removing papers and the like, successively, from a source of supply, and means for operating the same, of a reversely-moving friction device adapted to contact with a paperimproperly carried off, a shoe for pressing the paper against such friction device, and means for moving said shoe out of the path of the papers when the feed-finger advances to grasp a paper, and for releasing said shoe when the feed-finger returns with a paper.

14. In a feeding-off mechanism, the combination, with an elevator, and means for removing papers and the like therefrom, of a reversely-moving friction device adapted to contact with a paper improperly carried 0E from said elevator, means for moving the same toward the papers as they are carried 0% and then for retiring said friction device, and ashoe for pressing the papers against said friction device.

15. In a paper-feeding mechanism, the combination, with a reciprocating member, and a pivoted feed-finger carried thereby having upon its rear end forwardly-inclined teeth or claws adapted to grasp a paper and carry the same forward with the feed-finger, of means for bringing the objects to be fed into the range of action of said claws.

16. In a mechanism for feeding newspapers and the like, the com bination,with a plurality of vibrating feed-fingers adapted to feed forward papers and the like, successively, and means for moving said feed-fingers away from the articles to be fed, of means for holding said feed-fingers out of action, and a tripping device for releasing said feed-fingers simnltaneously.

17. In a mechanism for feeding newspapers and the like, the combination, withaplurality of vibrating feed-fingers adapted to feed forward papers and the like successively, and means for raising said feed-fingers out of contact with the papers, of a plurality of latches, connected together, and adapted to hold said feed-fingers out of action, and a single tripping device, adapted to engage one of said latches and thereby to trip all and release the feed-fingers.

18. In a mechanism for feeding newspapers and the like, the combination, with a vibrating feed-finger, of opposing friction devices adapted to receive papers from said finger and feed the same on, the friction device on one side of the path of the papers being movable toward and from the opposing friction device, and being arranged to engage said feed-finger and release the paper therefrom before said friction devices grasp the paper. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

LEE A. AGNEW.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. WALL, H. A. CASE. 

